Joe Duffy opens up on losing his private pension for the second time in 10 years

RTE broadcaster Joe Duffy has opened up about losing his pension for the second time in 10 years as a result of international crises.

The Liveline host stated that he does not have a pension from RTE as he is a contractor, and added that he has ‘no safety net’.

Nonetheless, the 64-year-old stressed that financial instability pales in comparison to the importance of prioritising public health.

RTE broadcaster Joe Duffy has opened up about losing his pension for the second time in 10 years as a result of international crises. Pic: RTE

Speaking to the Sunday Independent, Mr Duffy revealed that he is not ‘on staff’ at RTE, and will not therefore be obliged to retire when he turns 65 in January, but added that the broadcaster can let him go at anytime.

The Ballyfermot man spoke about his frugal nature and the losses he has experienced as a result of the pandemic, stating: ‘Any spare money goes into the pensions in our household. I don’t have a pension from RTE, I don’t have sick pay and I don’t have a safety net — and the pension is gone again.

‘It disappeared 10 years ago with the crash and now with COVID-19. It was invariably invested in stocks and shares.’

Joe Duffy stated that he does not have a pension from RTE as he is a contractor, and added that he has ‘no safety net’. Pic: Gareth Chaney Collins

Mr Duffy added: ‘It’s not a worry in my life. The worry in life at the moment is people’s health.’

Although Mr Duffy identified the COVID-19 pandemic as the ‘biggest issue I have ever covered’ in terms of its duration and the toll taken on people’s lives, Liveline made headlines around Ireland in recent days for a very different reason.

To the amusement of much of the Irish public, listeners rang Joe Duffy to complain about hit TV series Normal People and its representation of the sex lives of its young characters.

Although Mr Duffy identified the COVID-19 pandemic as the ‘biggest issue I have ever covered’ in terms of its duration and the toll taken on people’s lives, Liveline made headlines around Ireland in recent days for a very different reason. Pic: RTE

Mr Duffy mediated a fiery debate between those who likened the programme to pornography and those who defended its events as a realistic depiction of teenage life in Ireland.

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